Fever Drawn Dreams
by skwirelygurli
Summary: When Ally gets a fever, her dreams show her how her life could be different. Auslly.


**Fever Drawn Dreams, an Austin and Ally oneshot**

**I do not own Austin and Ally. For Livelyfingered who prompted "fever." Also, Naada wanted to see them getting older, so this is a bit of a different interpretation on her request. Reviews and requests are greatly appreciated!**

The best way to waste a Saturday is to catch the flu and be assigned bed rest.

The best thing about bed rest is getting to catch up on her sleep. With school, and tending the store and writing hit songs for Austin, she's been finding those recommended eight hours dwindling into six, or seven if she is lucky.

She tries to save time, writing songs in the shower and doing her homework when business is running slow. If only she could stop thinking about him. That could give her more time.

Her head hits the pillow. The blanket on top of her is too much. Pushing it off, she lets it drop to the floor.

_(the page breaks here)_

The first thing her eyes catch is the ring sitting on the window sill. It's a small diamond.

She leans in to take a closer look. Her elbows sink deeper into the dish water. A fork drops from her hand, clattering against the drain.

"What's wrong Allygator?"

"Austin?" He's drying off a plate with a rag. He places it on top of another. "What's going on?"

He opens the cabinet door. "Well, you were washing and I was drying. And then you were staring at your ring."

Her head is spinning. That is her ring. It's her diamond ring, and she's doing dishes with Austin. The rag is covering his left hand. She can't see if he's wearing a ring.

Maybe it'd be best if she sat down.

"That's my ring?"

"Well, you are the girl I married, aren't you?"

Okay, something is definitely wrong here. They're still in high school. They shouldn't be married. She hasn't even kissed him.

And why won't this chair move in any farther?

He places a hand on her belly to get her to stop moving. She looks down to see that her belly is actually sticking out. "I'm Ally Dawson."

"I think you mean Ally Moon."He rubs her belly, letting the dish water get cold. That fork isn't going to get washed. There are more important things to worry about right now.

"Wait, you're my husband? But we haven't even kissed." She shouldn't protest. It would be easier to accept the fact that they're married, and she's pregnant with his baby. Which means they did a whole lot more than just kiss.

He chuckles, ruffling her hair. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Honestly, I'm a bit lost."

"Let me clear things up for you."

He kisses her.

_(the page breaks here)_

She wakes up. It had only been a dream. Something brought on by a fever of one hundred one.

Her father left a mini cooler of waters by her bed. It's meant to keep her hydrated while he's gone. Taking one of the bottles, she downs it. The cool water is refreshing.

The empty bottle gets cast aside. It's time she gets back to sleep.

Her husband is waiting.

_(the page breaks here)_

He paces across the lawn, his red sneakers leaving dents in the grass. It's gotten dark out since she left.

For some reason, she's back in her kitchen. She misses the other one, with its red curtains and checkerboard floor. Her ring is missing off the window sill.

No one ever said dreams had to be logical, but she wishes things would start making sense.

"Austin!" she yells out the window. Why had he gone outside?

"Oh, hi Ally." He fumbles with something in his pocket, approaching the window.

"Have you seen my wedding ring?"

"Your wedding ring?" He gulps nervously.

She holds her left hand out to him. "You know, the symbol of our love for each other."

Sweat drips down his back. He runs his hand through his hair and something falls from his pocket.

It's a black velvet box.

"Did Dez tell you I was going to propose?" He bends down to pick up the box. While he's down there he gets on one knee and holds the ring out to her.

Yup, that's her ring alright.

She notices that her stomach isn't digging into the counter top. It's flat again.

Her dream must have rewound.

Might as well give him an answer. "No."

"No?"

"No about Dez. Of course I'll marry you." Now she'd like to jump into his arms. But short of jumping over the sink and through the window, that's not going to happen.

Instead he stands and kisses her through the window.

_(the page breaks here)_

Awake again. What is it with his kisses that she wakes up?

She takes a pill from the bottle off her side table. Her dad had instructed her to take one around ten, and it's already ten thirty. That would explain why the pain is back.

Downing it with another mini bottle of water, she closes the cooler.

Time to see what happens next.

_(the page breaks here)_

It doesn't surprise her to see that her ring is gone again.

She lifts her head from his chest. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

They're on the orange chair in the practice room. His arm is around her shoulder, with his hand tangled in the ends of her hair.

"What's going on?"

"We were taking a break from writing the song and you fell asleep. You looked too cute to wake you." He kisses the top of her head, and she's surprised that she doesn't wake up this time. Maybe she's getting used to it.

"Oh. I guess we should finish the song then." She sits up. Hopefully she's written down the notes so she can follow along.

He guides her back down. "We can finish it tomorrow."

But if this is a dream, there won't be a tomorrow. She's lucky that there is a today.

This is too comfortable to argue.

"Then what are we going to do?" Her face presses into his chest. Snuggling would be really nice right now.

He grabs the blanket off the floor. Draping it across them, he places his head on top of hers. Apparently her fever doesn't make her hot in her dream.

Can she just stay here for a while?

"We're going to sleep."

_(the page breaks here)_

He said they were going to sleep. He did not say they were going to wake up to find themselves alone in bed.

She opens the cooler and takes out another bottle of water. Taking a sip, she sets it back. No need to overdo it. She's already had two bottles.

Closing her eyes, she hits the pillow.

She's no longer tired, but the sheer curiosity makes her fall asleep.

_(the page breaks here)_

He walks up to her, hopping onto the counter.

"We broke up," he says, not facing her.

It appears they've gone back in time yet again. She doesn't know who 'she' is, or if they've had a good relationship. She sticks to something neutral.

She comes around the counter and wraps her arms around him. The hug says everything she can't.

Pulling away, she has to ask. "Then why are you smiling?"

"Because now I can ask out the most amazing girl in Miami." His feet hit the ground as he jumps off.

"Lucky her," she comments. She's seen her future with him. He's the sweetest boy a girl could ask for. And she's sure that whoever this girl is will feel the same way.

"Lucky you," he says, kissing her nose.

Why did she doubt that it was going to be her? All of these dreams were about them.

Now if only she knew the name of the girl he had broken up with. Then she'd know how much longer she has to wait before these dreams can become a reality.

"Lucky me."

_(the page breaks here)_

This is rather annoying. Maybe if she snaps her eyes shut again, they won't go back in time. They'll stay where they are, moving forward.

She shuts her eyes. Nothing.

Open. Shut.

Nope, she's fully awake now.

"Are you okay?" he asks her.

"Austin. What are you doing here?" She flattens her hair with her hand.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pushes a strand out of her face. "I came to see how you were feeling. I brought soup!"

He doesn't go for a kiss. He doesn't hold her hand.

Looks like she's gone back in time again.

Except this time she's wide awake. She can't go back any farther. Life gets played in forward motion.

"Thanks." She slides her feet off the bed. When they hit the floor, he protests.

"Sit down. You need your rest."

"I need to use the bathroom." She stands and wobbles for a minute.

He stands with her. "I better take you."

He escorts her down the hall, arms on her sides. While she takes care of a few things, mainly fixing her hair and freshening her dry mouth with mouthwash, he waits patiently outside the door.

The toilet flushes and he hears the water running. Standing at attention, he takes her back to her room.

"You don't have to do this you know."

"I want to. That's what best friends are for."

Back to the beginning. Well, almost the beginning. They're not going back to strangers and acquaintances and friends. They're best friends and it'll only go up from here.

Taking the lid off the still hot soup, he hands her a spoon out of his back pocket.

"Eat up Allygator."

Allygator, just like her dream.

Except there's no diamond ring or baby bump.

Not yet anyways.


End file.
